


Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

by larislynn



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Reader-Insert, tw blood, tw death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25063003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larislynn/pseuds/larislynn
Summary: When you're ambushed by Fire Nation troops, things go downhill quickly.Request: "49 on prompt list two with sokka" (Prompt: "Why are you bleeding?")
Relationships: Sokka (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Cool water trickled down the stream, sunlight reflecting off of it in the most beautiful way. It was your turn to gather fresh water for the group, and you were thankful for the nice day. However you were slightly less thankful for the long walk to the creek. 

You had begun travelling with the Avatar and company when they left the North Pole. Although you were a skilled waterbender, learning to fight had never been an option for you. However, once Master Pakku allowed Katara to learn the style other girls started to join. After you left, Katara began training you, but you were still a better healer than you were fighter. 

Once you joined the group, you became very close with everyone, most of all Sokka. He was funny, and could be charming when he tried. It had taken him a while to open back up after losing Yue, but when he did you were there. 

As you gathered the water into your satchel, you heard a branch break from somewhere behind you. Looking around, you felt like a deer in the headlights. You spotted a glimpse of red through the branches. When you realized that they had found you, it was like time froze. Fire Nation soldiers were closing in from all sides.

Taking the water from the satchel, you whipped some of it at the firebenders behind you. With a wave of your hand it froze around their ankles, providing you with a temporary escape. Taking off, you ran in the general direction of camp, hoping you weren’t getting yourself lost.

When you reached the same tree for the third time, you knew you were turned around. The creek was a few feet ahead of you, and you saw a second path leading out from it. Something told you to head that way, as it seemed to be the only other option. 

Before you did, you hastily refilled your satchel in case the guards caught up. Heavy footsteps drew near and you took off down the path.

After quite some time spent running, your legs were burning, but it didn’t matter. If you couldn’t escape these soldiers you’d have a lot more to deal with than a hurt leg. As you raced back towards camp, you said a silent prayer to the Spirits that the others were safe. 

The soldiers were drawing nearer, and you held a sphere of water in your hand for protection. Suddenly the pain in your leg became worse and you winced. Risking a glance down, you saw blood oozing down from a deep gash. This was bad, this was very bad. 

An idea came to mind and you swerved to your left. The underbrush gave you cover as you ran towards camp. Eventually the sounds of Fire Nation troops receded and you sighed. 

Slumping against a tree, you gasped. The wound was much worse than you had anticipated. Blood was flowing freely, and you could barely touch it without a pain shooting through your leg. A small spear tip stuck out from the cut. 

You had learned enough from healing lessons that pulling it out would just lead to further injury, but it seemed to be causing a lot of damage. Unfortunately throughout all your time in healing classes you never learned how to heal yourself. Of course, you never thought you would need that skill in the first place. The best option you had was to make it back to camp and hope that Katara could heal you. 

Voices floated through the trees and you knew your friends were nearby. Taking a cautious, stumbling step forward, you lumbered through the woods towards camp. Sokka was the first to see you enter the area, rushing over to you.    


“We were getting worried,” he smiled. “What took you so long?”   


At this point your vision was beginning to grow foggy. “Fire Nation troops,” you breathed out, “I need to see Katara.”   


His brow furrowed in worry, “ _ Why are you bleeding? _ ”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” you replied, “just a scratch.” 

“Katara’s this way,” he took your hand, leading you to her. 

“I was ambushed,” you tried to take a steadying breath but it came out forced and jagged. “They got me with a spearhead, it’s still bleeding.”   


Katara turned to Sokka, “Can you go tell the others what happened? We need a bit more room to work. 

He looked over at you, and you nodded. “I’ll be fine. Go update the others, we need to be ready to leave as soon as this is healed.” 

Once he left, Katara pulled a stream of water from your satchel, hovering it over the wound. “How long ago was this?”   


“I’m,” you thought for a moment, “I’m not sure. Maybe a half hour or so?”

Her face fell. “The tip was dipped in a deadly poison, I’m not sure what kind. But that’s enough time for it to set in.”

Something twisted in your heart, “Is there anything you can do?” 

You knew the answer before she even responded. “No,” she shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

Only one thought came to mind. “I need to tell Sokka.” You tried to stand, but immediately fell back over. The corners of your vision were getting fuzzier by the minute.    


“I’ll get him,” Katara said. “Do you want to tell him or should I?” 

You glanced down, “It’s my responsibility to be the one to let him know.” 

She nodded, “I understand.” With that, she left the tent. 

As soon as she was gone you let yourself fall apart. It wasn’t the thought of dying that scared you as much as the thought of dying  _ now,  _ at this point in the war, when you were needed the most. And when Sokka needed you most.

Tears began spilling down your cheeks as you thought about the future that you were losing. However the tent flap reopened and you forced yourself to regain composure. You needed to stay strong for him. 

“Hey,” he said gently, sitting next to you, “Katara said you needed to talk to me.” This hurt more than the spearhead sticking out of your leg.

“Sokka, I need to tell you something,” the tears started falling again, but this time you didn’t brush them away. “The spearhead was poisoned.”

“So Katara is off getting the antidote, right?”   


“No,” you sighed, “we don’t know what the cure is. I,” you paused, looking for the right words, “I don’t have much time left.”

He shook his head. “No, there has to be another way. There’s always another way. I can go track down the soldiers, force them to tell me what the antidote is."

You touched his hand, “There isn’t another way. This is it, we have to accept it.”   


“No! I can’t just sit by and do nothing!” He shook his head, “If only I had gone to get the water instead, this wouldn’t have happened.”   


“You can’t blame yourself,” you whispered. “This isn’t your fault.”

Tears spilled from his eyes, as he pulled you close, “Please. I can’t lose you. Please don’t go.” 

“I’m right here.” With each passing minute your pain became worse, until suddenly you couldn’t feel anything. Your breath was slowing, and your eyes felt heavy. It would be so easy to just close them and drift off, but you knew you couldn’t.

“Please, stay with me,” Sokka whispered, holding you close to him, “I love you.”    


“I love you too, I’ll always love you.” It was then that your eyes fluttered shut for the last time. 

It was as though his heart had been ripped out. As he saw the life leave your eyes, he sobbed, the heartbreak finally becoming too much to bear. It was in that moment he knew, no matter how this war ended, he would  _ never _ forgive the Fire Nation for this. And he knew that they would come to regret it.

**Author's Note:**

> My beta-reader has been pressuring me to write a fic where the reader dies so if you want to blame your pain on someone it's her fault. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated! Love you all! <3


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